The Internet's Spotlight Won't Fade for Mohammed Sendik
Months after losing his right leg, Mohammed Sendik's encounter with Hamas propaganda turned him into an unwilling internet celebrity. Social media claimed he was a victim in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, but the truth was far from it—Sendik was innocent bystander caught up in a disinformation campaign.
The war between Hamas and Israel doesn't shy away from fake news—Mohammed Sendik learned this the hard way. His life transformed when a years-old hospital video of his amputation resurfaced online, falsely tied to the war, making Sendik a target for online vitriol.
Hamas's manipulative tactics aren't only limited to their victims; they also aim at Israelis, branding them as "crisis actors" who fabricate injuries and manipulate empathy to demonize their adversaries. This was Sendik's unfortunate fate as well.
The faked video of a hospital visit of Mohammed Sendik, who lost a leg during an Israeli operation in the occupied West Bank, presented itself as an allegedly staged injury report by a Palestinian blogger during the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. The lie spread like wildfire with comments questioning Innocent Mohammed's recovery timeline or scornfully demanding further amputations.
Sendik's father, Jusef Issam Fandqah, worried for his son's life, vowing that the misinformation campaign might jeopardize his son's safety.
Manipulating public opinion in times of crisis is a common tactic to fuel disinformation. It has happened in various past events like gun attacks in the US and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. During the Israel-Hamas conflict, the frequency of such incidents saw a significant surge, according to experts.
In the Israel-Hamas conflict, campaigns propagating false information about "crisis actors" have only intensified, mostly due to lax content monitoring measures on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter).
The disinformation can escalate the conflict further by creating doubt about civilian casualties, making people less sensitive to war atrocities, and rallying greater support for more violence and attacks.
Throughout this volatile conflict, misinformation has not only caused human suffering but also eroded trust in the media, often labeled as disseminators of false information on both sides.
